


Mission to Stay, Mission Away

by TsukiMizuko



Category: Saint Seiya
Genre: Even if he's not the Gemini Saint, Gen, He ain't gonna just sit around, Kanon makes himself useful, Past Character Death, There's a little bit of not-quite Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:28:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26676703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TsukiMizuko/pseuds/TsukiMizuko
Summary: As the younger Gemini twin, Kanon was once expected to stay put, stay hidden, stay safe. But he won't, not anymore. Kanon's going to make himself useful to Sanctuary, even if he can't do it by fighting
Comments: 6
Kudos: 10





	1. Siberia I

**Author's Note:**

> For anyone who's up-to-date on Infinite Possibilities, this chapter will look pretty familiar. It's similar to Mission: Siberia I, but I've made a few changes, so it wouldn't hurt to reread it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

After years of isolation, Kanon has learned to appreciate whatever freedom he can find. Sometimes that freedom is wandering around Sanctuary in the dead of night, hiding to avoid the occasional guard while otherwise being free to roam. Other times that freedom comes in the form of the missions Master Shion sends him on.

It had taken months of reasoning and arguing and, on occasion, flat out begging to persuade the aging Pope of Sanctuary to let him do something _-anything-_ that didn't involve hiding on the outskirts of Sanctuary.

Not that Kanon can blame the former Aries Saint. Until just five years ago, it was unheard of for any younger Gemini twin to do anything but hide or sometimes take over for their older sibling should they fall in battle. Breaking such a tradition could hold heavy consequences if Athena doesn't approve when she reincarnates.

As if the risk of bringing their goddess's wrath down upon them isn't enough, Saga had thrown a fit when he found out what Master Shion was planning let Kanon do. It was the first time the near-inseparable Gemini twins had ever had a real argument.

_"It's too dangerous. You're not allowed to use your Cosmo unless Pope Shion gives you permission? What if you run into trouble?"_

_"Do you have any idea how many people get around without Cosmo, Saga? Most of Earth's population! If they can do it, why can't I?"_

_"We're not most of Earth's population, Kanon! You could run into all sorts of dangers that normal people don't even know exist."_

_"And you're going to face all kinds of danger once the Holy War starts! Dangers way worse than anything I could run into while running_ errands _."_

_"I want you to be safe, Kanon."_

_"...You can't protect me forever, Saga."_

So it was that Kanon was sent out on his first mission. It was simple, just running a message to Old Master Dohko at Five Old Peaks in Lushan. It had taken about a week and a half, between the flight from Greece to China and then actually getting to Lushan and hiking from the nearby village to Lushan Falls where the Old Master lived. Then he got two days' recovery time (which was really just Master Shion's excuse to let Kanon stretch his legs and use his Cosmo at full strength for a bit before having to go back to hiding) before he had left to come home.

Kanon had appreciated that last bit, and for all that most Saints would consider running messages to be beneath someone of Gold Saint level, the young Gemini had enjoyed the excursion. Getting to run wild for two whole days had been exactly what he needed to settle some of the twitchiness he tended to develop being in Sanctuary all the time.

Also, for an old man, Master Dohko actually made for good company. He was contrary and talked in circles when he didn't want to answer a question, but he had been perfectly willing to tell Kanon stories about his youth, provided Kanon didn't dig too much if the old Libra Saint was clearly avoiding a topic.

In the years since that first mission Kanon has made a number of trips to Lushan to visit the Old Master.

Not to say that the only thing Kanon does is run messages to Lushan. The natural ability that he has honed over long years of practice to make his Cosmo resemble that of a normal person is invaluable, and Master Shion has sent him on a number of missions that others would be hard pressed to carry out.

Kanon's personal favorite type of mission is the kind that sends him to Sanctuary's foreign training grounds. He's been all over the world and experienced all sorts of cultures, seen the training methods of dozens of trainers, and exposed more than one case of a corrupt master.

(Kanon takes, perhaps, more satisfaction than is strictly necessary in making sure other children don't face the same kind of abuse of power that he and Saga faced with their original master.)

That being said, this newest mission is _not_ one Kanon is enjoying.

 _I knew Siberia would be cold, but this is insane._ Kanon thinks as he hikes across the frozen tundra in the direction of the East Siberian training grounds. Reaching up with one gloved hand, he pulls his scarf-a long piece of thick blue fabric of Lemurian make gifted to him by Master Shion when he went to Greenland two years ago-up further over his face and ducks his head a bit against the winds.

In the five years since his first errand to Lushan, Kanon has been all over the world, but he's never been this far north before. And it. Is. _Cold._

A sense of amusement flashes through the back of Kanon's mind, and he groans quietly, the sound lost to the howling of the wind.

 _"You're the one who said yes to going up there,"_ Saga's voice echoes over their shared mental connection.

(It's the thing about being twins born under the Gemini constellation and also having powerful Cosmo-Kanon and Saga can sense each other and communicate over pretty much any distance at any time. It's nice... most of the time.)

Kanon responds to his twin's amusement by projecting his irritation back at him.

 _"Shut up,"_ he thinks at the minutes-older Gemini. " _It's been months since my last trip out. What was I going to say? No?"_

Saga hums in acknowledgement, then moves on to the real reason he's contacted his brother, just like Kanon knew he would.

 _"Do you remember what you're supposed to be doing out there?"_ he asks.

 _"Goddess above, of course I remember! I'm the one who told you what I'd be doing,"_ Kanon grumbles back. Before Saga can respond, he repeats what Master Shion had told him before sending him out.

_"There's some discrepancies in the reports coming from the master of the East Siberian training ground. Master Vanya has three students: Camus, Dimitri, and Ivan. Up until about three months ago, reports suggested that all three were on track to finish their training in the next six months. Dimitri still is, but the other two are a different matter._

_"Ivan's progress has been steady the entire time he's been training. Recently, however, he's stagnated. Several months' worth of reports say pretty much the same thing, with almost the same wording in every report. Camus is basically a prodigy. Master Shion thinks she may be the next Aquarius Saint. In her case, it's not that she's stagnated, but rather that she's flat out regressed. As in, no longer able to perform techniques that she was supposed to have mastered ages ago._

_"The last time someone came to check out this training ground everything seemed absolutely perfect. Like, unnaturally perfect. Master Shion was suspicious of that, so he's sending me instead. See? I remember."_

Saga seems pleased by Kanon's report.

_"Good luck then. And make sure to be back in the village before dark, you don't want to be caught out on the tundra at night."_

_"I_ know _Saga. I'll finish this up and be back soon."_

With that, Kanon pointedly blocks out his brother, a trick both of them have mastered over the years since awakening their Cosmo-nothing like a complete lack of privacy to drive you nuts-and focuses back on the tundra ahead of him. It's not snowing, but there's no guarantee that the good weather will last, so he has to move quickly.

He glances up, squinting at the sun. It's a little past ten o'clock, leaving about seven hours until sunset, so Master Vanya and his three students will still be at the training area, where there is plenty of space for Kanon to hide and observe them.

The eighteen-year-old keeps moving, and after a little while longer the training area comes into view. Specifically, the circle of ice structures that functions as a makeshift Colosseum.

Even as his destination comes into view, Kanon knows something is wrong. The fact that he has to keep his Cosmo hidden on this kind of mission doesn't stop him from being able to sense the Cosmo of others, which wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the fact that as he nears the frozen Colosseum, Kanon can't sense anything that even remotely resembles a Cosmo.

 _This is weird._ Kanon thinks. _I memorized the training schedule Master Vanya uses. Mornings are always used for sparring._ An unpleasant thought comes to the teenager's mind. _Could that have been faked?_

Shaking off the thought, Kanon speeds up his pace and heads for one of the openings between ice structures. As he approaches, he realizes that he can't hear anything from within the circle. Not the yells of a sparring match, or the voice of someone giving instructions. Nothing. With his back pressed firmly against one of the ice formations, Kanon peers carefully around the side and into the Colosseum.

 _There's nothing there._ Kanon is briefly confused before he sees it. _A person?_

Sure enough, a figure shaped like a person is lying in the middle of the circle.

Kanon takes a moment to glance around, stretching his senses as much as he can without using his Cosmo, but there's no one around except him and the other person.

Finally, he steps into the circle and makes his way to the downed figure.

 _This must be Master Vanya._ Kanon thinks. It's the only explanation, given that he's looking at a fully grown man. _But what's he doing lying in the middle of the sparring ground? And where are his students?_

Carefully, Kanon crouches down and reaches out to roll the man over.

And promptly begins cursing in every language he knows-there's a lot of them, and his repertoire of curses is quite vast-as he takes the man in.

Master Vanya's skin is blue, and covered in a very fine layer of frost. His eyes are wide open and glazed as he stares up, unseeing.

Kanon groans and leans back on his haunches. _This is_ not _what I signed up for._

Extending his mind out along the link he shares with his brother, Kanon calls out.

 _"Saga?"_ By this point it's maybe seven in the morning back in Greece, but training starts early and Saga was already up before this, so he should answer shortly.

 _"Just a moment,"_ comes Saga's clipped response, accompanied by a sense of deep concentration. He must be sparring, probably with Aiolos. Only the Sagittarius Saint can give Saga all that much trouble in the sparring department right now.

Kanon waits the few moments it takes Saga to finish the spar and presumably request a break. Finally, his brother responds properly.

 _"Is something wrong Kanon? You sound..."_ Saga's telepathic voice trails off.

 _"I need you to link me up with Master Shion. I kinda ran into a problem,"_ Kanon tells him. For all his psychic prowess, Kanon isn't able to reach Master Shion while he's this far from Greece. Saga, on the other hand can reach him easily, so he acts as a go-between for his younger twin and the Pope. It's a handy trick for the occasions when Kanon needs to report something that can't wait until he gets back to Greece.

It's only the work of a moment for Saga to telepathically reach Master Shion.

 _"Kanon? What is it?"_ Master Shion asks, obviously worried. Kanon doesn't blame him, given that this was meant to be pretty simple as his errands go.

 _"I found just found Master Vanya,"_ Kanon tells the Pope. _"He's dead."_


	2. Siberia II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kanon looks, and he finds. And then things go south.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter of Mission: Siberia. Again, if you've already read Infinite Possibilities, then you're probably familiar with this chapter, minus a few changes.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

_"Dead?"_ Master Shion repeats after a moment of silence.

 _"Yeah. Frozen to death by the looks of it,"_ Kanon tells him. In the background of their telepathic conversation he can sense Saga's alarm at the news.

Master Shion sighs-well, it's more like a general sense of resignation than an actual sigh-and takes a moment to collect his thoughts.

 _"Where are Master Vanya's students?" t_ he Pope asks.

 _"Not here,"_ Kanon responds bluntly. He runs one gloved hand through his hair-dyed blond for the mission-and adds, _"And wherever they are, it's far enough away that I can't sense them."_

 _"Find them,_ _"_ Master Shion orders him. _"Use your Cosmo if you need to, but figure out where they are and confirm their status. If they're alive, make sure they're safe first and foremost."_

_"And if they don't trust me? It's not like they'll know who I am."_

_"Tell them you're an agent of Sanctuary,"_ Master Shion instructs him. _"That's all they need to know."_

 _"Fair enough,"_ Kanon agrees. _"I'll report once I know something."_

 _"Master Vanya's students come first,"_ is the response he receives. _"You can report to me once you're sure they're either safe or dead."_

With that, the old Lemurian's mind disappears. Kanon winces. It's not that he isn't aware that the three kids could be dead, as it's always a possibility when it comes to Saint training, it's just that he doesn't want to think about it. It's not exactly a pleasant thought.

Saga's mind presses comfortingly against Kanon's, clearly having picked up on his twin's dark thoughts.

 _"Don't focus on the worst-case scenario so quickly,"_ the older Gemini murmurs gently. _"You don't know anything for sure yet. Find the children first."_

 _"I know,"_ Kanon huffs. _"I'll talk to you later,"_ he tells his twin, and lets their connection slip away, fading back to the subtle-but-constant awareness that it usually manifests as.

Closing his eyes, Kanon lets his mind focus outward, spreading his awareness out as far as he can, then letting a bit of his Cosmo free to expand his range further.

At first there's nothing, just the general sense of emptiness that comes with a near complete lack of Cosmo, but then he picks up a few faint traces of Cosmo. It's just the people from the village, though. None of what he's sensing is big enough to be a Saint trainee.

 _Further,_ Kanon thinks, _I need to reach further._ He gives up on the idea of being subtle with his sensing, and just reaches out.

For a long moment there's nothing. And then...

_There!_

Off to the north of the makeshift Colosseum where Kanon is there are two Cosmos, both large enough to belong to Saints. Or Saint trainees, at least.

Straightening up from his crouch and taking a moment to stretch out his stiff limbs, Kanon turns to head in the direction he sensed the Cosmos, leaving Master Vanya's body behind. That can wait.

Stepping out of the circle of ice slabs means stepping out of their protection, and Kanon makes a face when the viciously cold wind smacks him in the face. He ducks his head against it, cursing as he notices the snow that has begun to fall.

 _Whoopee,_ he thinks. _This is exactly_ _what I needed-a blizzard on top of the dead Saint trainer I already found. Hopefully those three kids are more cold-resistant than their master. I would really hate to find them dead too._

Something else occurs to him.

_Ah crap. I'm only sensing two Cosmos. Where's the third one?_

Shaking his head, Kanon takes to scanning the area ahead of him, looking for any sign of his quarry. He'll worry about the third trainee after he locates the two he can already sense.

It must be a good half an hour of walking before he sees what he's looking for. Ahead of him, two small shapes are making their way through the steadily worsening blizzard. They're moving slowly, and Kanon only has to pick up his pace a bit to reach them.

"Hey!" He yells over the wind. "Hey! Kids! What are you doing out here?"

His calls catch the attention of one of the small figures, and it stops, turning to look back at him. It's a boy with a fluff of white hair, dressed in thick, sturdy clothes clearly designed to ward off the cold, much like Kanon's own coat.

Upon getting closer, Kanon realizes the second figure, a child of indeterminate gender with straight teal hair, is actually slung over the white-haired boy's back, unconscious by the looks of it.

The boy stares at Kanon, clearly wary but not making any attempt to run.

As he reaches them, Kanon frowns.

"What are kids like you doing out here?" he demands. He thinks he already knows, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

The boy looks confused and shakes his head. The wind is really starting to pick up and Kanon can barely hear himself think, so it's not surprising the kid can't hear him even at this distance.

Instead of risking his voice, Kanon reaches out with his mind. The kid has absolutely no psychic barriers and Kanon reaches into his mind with little problem. Normally he wouldn't intrude on someone else's mind like this-at best it's ethically questionable by Lemurian standards, and it goes against Kanon's own personal morals to boot-but he's distinctly lacking in the options department.

_"I asked what you're doing out here in this mess, kid."_

The boy stares at him in confusion, mouth working uselessly. _"What is that?"_ Kanon hears the voice in his head.

 _"It's the guy standing in front of you. I'm using telepathy,"_ Kanon tells him patiently. He draws his mind back a bit, giving the boy space to think without Kanon overhearing by accident. _"Now answer the damn question."_

Understanding makes its way across the kid's face, and he nods. _"My sister and I were out playing when she slipped on the ice and hit her head. I'm trying to get her home, but it's slow going, and then this storm blew in too."_

 _"You realize you're going in the wrong direction to get back to town, right?"_ Kanon points out blandly as he crouches down to get a better look at the unconscious girl. Sure enough, he can see a bit of blood on the girl's temple and in her hair, frozen in the cold.

 _"We live outside of town with our father,"_ is the response he receives. _"It's closer than the town."_

 _"And your dad is... where, exactly?"_ he asks.

_"In town. He has work. We're allowed to go out and play alone as long we're careful. The fall was a-an accident."_

_"Okay,"_ Kanon thinks slowly. He pulls his backpack off his shoulder and drops it on the ground. _"Give me your sister. You lead the way and I'll carry her to your house."_

His offer gets a suspicious glare-smart kid-but he ignores it and turns his back. It's quite a sign of trust. With Kanon's back turned, the boy could easily knock him out and leave him to freeze to death.

There's nothing for a few seconds, then a weight on his back. It takes them a bit of shifting to get the girl settled, but they manage it eventually and Kanon stands up, double-checking to make sure he won't drop the kid.

 _"Let's get going before we get snowed in,"_ he commands, and the boy takes a second to grab Kanon's pack, slinging it over his shoulder before beckoning the teenager to follow him.

They take off at a brisk pace, pushing through the quickly building snow.

 _"I forgot to ask,"_ Kanon speaks up after a while, _"What's your name, kid?"_

 _"Shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"_ the boy counters.

Kanon chuckles, unable to help the way his amusement projects across their telepathic connection. Normally he's better at keeping his emotions to himself, but the boy is right. _"Name's Kanon. Now it's your turn."_

 _"I'm Dimitri. My sister is Camus, and our M-our father is Vanya,"_ the kid finally answers. Kanon refrains from commenting on the boy's obvious slip-up, instead opting to ask another question.

 _"You said your father's in town for work. What's he do?"_ He queries.

Dimitri turns just enough that Kanon can see the downturn at the corner of his mouth. _"Is that any of your business?_ _"_ he responds tartly.

 _"Guess not,"_ Kanon admits.

Soon enough the shape of a building comes into view. It's not particularly big, and Kanon guesses there's a main room and one or two bedrooms, plus possibly a bathroom. On the bright side, there is a chimney sticking up from the roof, so at least there's a fireplace of some kind. Which is good, considering that Kanon, at least, feels like he's going to freeze if he doesn't get somewhere warm soon.

The white-haired boy in front of Kanon opens the door to the little house and steps inside, holding the door open so Kanon can slip in after him, then shutting it, heavily dampening the howling of the blizzard outside.

Kanon takes a quick glance around. Just like he thought, they're one large main room which seems to serve as both kitchen and living room, with an ice box, wood stove, and a table with chairs in the far corner from the door. There's a couch off to Kanon's right, with a low table and a fireplace set into the wall, and the last corner is walled off, probably as a bedroom.

Stepping further into the house, Kanon makes his way to the couch and crouches down, carefully dumping his burden onto the cushions. Turning back to face the girl, he reaches for the clasp at the neck of her coat-better to get it off sooner rather than later-and promptly goes still as a freezing cold hand clamps around the back of his neck under his scarf.

An icy Cosmo burns behind him and a soft voice speaks out, tone dangerous.

"Tell me who you really are."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there we are, that's the second chapter.
> 
> Leave a review to tell me what you think.
> 
> Bye-bye now!


	3. Siberia III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This mission has already gone so far south that the ice is starting to melt. It can't get any worse... can it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is where the new material for this story starts. From this chapter on, nothing has been posted in Infinite Possibilities.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

* * *

Having an ice-cold hand wrapped around your neck, and the owner of that hand threatening your safety, does not a pleasant situation make.

For a few moments, Kanon seriously debates the merits of attacking this new person and just being done with it, but they speak again before he can make a decision.

"I said," they growl, "Tell me who you are."

 _Oh, it's the kid,_ Kanon realizes. _That explains a lot._

And it really does. Dimitri's voice sounds different out loud than it does telepathically. It's not all that surprising, since people tend to perceive themselves differently in their minds than how they are in real life. Dimitri had sounded older in Kanon's mind, which is quite common for Saint trainees, who tend to be much more mature than normal children of their age.

The young Gemini lets out a small sigh. "I told you, my name is Kanon."

"There's no reason for you to be out here. The only people who ever come this far out are my sister, me, and our father," comes the sharp response.

 _Alright. Fine,_ Kanon thinks irritably.

"I'm from Sanctuary," he admits, "And I was sent here to investigate the East Siberian training ground. Now would you please move your hand, before my neck freezes solid?"

There's a moment of nothing before the hand on his neck disappears. Turning, Kanon gives Dimitri a small smile.

"So," he says, "How about you help me get your training partner here settled so I can take a look at her head. Then we can talk."

Dimitri nods, and together they remove the girl's jacket, boots and the outer layer of her pants, leaving her in leggings and a sleeveless shirt, then cover her with a blanket.

With that done, Kanon and Dimitri relieve themselves of their own outer garments, and all of it is set by the door or hung on the series of hooks on the wall.

"Get the fire going," Kanon instructs Dimitri, and goes for the backpack the boy had dropped by the door, digging around until he finds the first aid kit he carries-one of Saga's conditions for him to take these missions. He never leaves Sanctuary without double- and triple-checking that the thing is fully stocked, and it's come in handy on several occasions.

He takes a moment to dig around in the cabinets of the kitchen space until he finds a bowl, and checks the ice box where he finds a pitcher of cold water. Filling the bowl, he takes the easy way out and just heats the water with his Cosmo. It's faster than going through the process of using the wood stove or the fire.

Coming back to the couch, he settles down next to his unconscious patient and starts the process of cleaning the blood off her temple and checking over the injury.

Taking a second to glance back, he sees that Dimitri has the fire going and is standing awkwardly by, looking unsure of what to do. He's also shivering slightly, which Kanon can't help but think is strange for someone who's spent the last few years living and training in Siberia, but that's not really important.

"Grab a blanket and sit down," Kanon instructs the boy.

"I'm fine!" comes the protest.

The older teen scoffs. "You're shivering. You need to warm up," he uses the same firm tone Master Shion had used on him and Saga when they were children, and it seems to have the desired effect.

Dimitri grabs a blanket, wraps himself in it, and sits on the floor by Camus' feet.

There's a long moment of silence before he finally seems to gather the courage to ask, "Is she okay?" his voice is smaller than it's been so far, the closest Kanon's heard the boy come to sounding like an actual child up to this point.

Kanon sighs as he turns his attention back to Camus. He's no Sanctuary healer, but he knows enough to check for a concussion before he wraps bandages over the nasty cut on the girl's temple.

"No concussion, miracle of miracles," he says, "Just a nasty cut. Little miss here will be fine. Should wake up pretty soon too."

Dimitri looks visibly relieved at that. Kanon can't blame him. It's probably the best news he's had all day.

Finally, Kanon pulls back and turns, plopping himself down on the floor.

"Now can we talk?" Dimitri demands.

"Yes," Kanon agrees, "Now we can talk. You've probably got questions, go ahead."

The white-haired boy pauses, visibly thinking about what to ask, then finally speaks. "You said you're from Sanctuary. You're a Saint."

"Wrong," Kanon responds bluntly.

"Telepathy is a Saint skill," Dimitri points out. "And you used Cosmo to heat that water too."

"Well..." Kanon sighs. "I was in training to be a Saint, but I was never accepted by a Cloth. I run minor missions for the Pope, things that don't need a Saint to handle them."

It's not _technically_ a lie. Kanon doesn't go on missions that have any chance of him needing a Cloth, but the missions he does take could, theoretically speaking, be taken by a Saint. Master Shion sends Kanon because he's well-suited to those particular missions, and it keeps him from losing his mind.

"Uh-huh," Dimitri hums, and Kanon gets the feeling that the younger boy only partially believes him. Thankfully, he doesn't push for more details.

"What else?" Kanon prompts.

"You said you were sent to investigate this training ground. Why?"

Groaning, Kanon lets his head fall back against the couch. He breathes in, and repeats to the younger boy what Master Shion had told him when he'd been sent out on this mission in the first place. When he finishes, another thought occurs to him.

"I actually went to your training area before I found you, so I know Master Vanya is dead-" Dimitri winces at that "-but where's your other training partner?" He asks the boy.

Dimitri shrinks down in his blanket. "Ivan is dead. I'm... not really sure how. Camus doesn't like to talk about it," he finally admits.

 _Gah!_ Kanon thinks desperately, _Sweet merciful Athena, why do you do this to me_ _? As if this wasn't already complicated enough, now two people are dead instead of one?_

"Okay," he breathes the single word out slowly, "Okay. What do you know?" As he speaks, he gets up and heads for the kitchen area, discarding his blanket. Opening the ice box, he searches around until he finds a container. There's some kind of soup in it, and Kanon finds a pot and a big wooden spoon. Lighting the wood stove, he gets to work heating up the soup. Dimitri joins him, sitting down in one of the chairs at the table.

"Everyday when we finish training, Master Vanya takes one of us back to here to start making dinner, and leaves the other two to spar by the cliffs-"

"He leaves you to spar on your own? _Near cliffs?_ " Kanon asks in disbelief, turning to stare at the boy sitting at the table. When all he gets is a helpless shrug, he sighs and motions for the boy to go on.

"Master Vanya rotates who comes back with him, so we all get equal opportunities to spar with each other," Dimitri continues, "About three months ago, there was one day when he brought me back to make dinner and left Camus and Ivan to spar. Only Camus came back. She said... she said she'd accidently thrown Ivan off the cliff and into the water. Our master was furious."

Kanon lets his cheeks puff out as he lets out yet another sigh. "That's on him. Leaving trainees to spar on their own is against Sanctuary's rules. He shouldn't have been doing that."

Dimitri doesn't answer, so Kanon asks his next question.

"What happened today? How did your master die?"

By this point, the soup is heated, so he pulls out two more bowls and serves portions into each one, then locates the spoons and brings it all over to the table. Setting down one bowl in front of his companion, Kanon sits down with the other one.

"Eat," he commands.

Dimitri picks up the spoon and prods unenthusiastically at the food, but eventually takes a bite.

There's a long silence as they both eat, before the younger boy finally speaks.

"Master Vanya tried to kill Camus today."

Kanon chokes on his food. It takes several long moments of coughing to clear his airways out, before he can speak again "He _what?_ " he gasps.

"He tried to kill Camus," Dimitri repeats. He doesn't give the older teen a chance to reply, pushing on despite his obvious hesitation, "Master Vanya has never really liked Camus, I'm not sure why, maybe because she's a girl, or because she's learning the techniques so fast. I think he might have been mad that she killed Ivan, even though it was an accident. Maybe that was what provoked him, but he made Camus pit her Aurora Execution against his."

Kanon takes a second to go back through everything he knows about the Saints who train in Siberia. It's not much; he knows that they all specialize in ice-based techniques, and that the Aquarius Gold Saint is trained in Siberia, as are the Cygnus and Eridanus Bronze Saints, but that's basically it.

As though sensing Kanon's confusion, Dimitri adds, "Aurora Execution is the ultimate technique of the ice Saints. At it's most powerful, it can even reach Absolute Zero."

Kanon nods in understanding, but doesn't get a chance to respond as a soft sound reaches his ears. It's a quiet, pained groan.

Camus is awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna end it there.
> 
> See you next time!


	4. Siberia IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Camus wakes up, and Kanon's work is Siberia comes to an end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the last chapter. I actually expected to have another chapter after this, but apparently not.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.

* * *

Dimitri reaches Camus' side first, leaning worriedly over the girl.

"Camus?" he asks as Kanon joins him.

Camus groans as she opens her eyes, and Kanon leans over Dimitri's shoulder to get a better look at the girl's face. She looks okay, a touch pale maybe, but that may just be her normal skin color, Kanon has no way to know for sure.

"...Dimitri...?" comes the question, a little rough, a little unsure, but there nonetheless.

"Hey," Dimitri breathes, looking thoroughly relieved. "How do you feel?"

Camus blinks, squinting against the light of the fire and candles. "Awful," she mumbles.

Kanon huffs. "Can you sit up, kiddo?" he asks.

The girl blinks, turning her gaze to Kanon and staring at him in obvious confusion. Slowly, she nods.

"I think so."

"Good," Kanon nods in satisfaction. "Dimitri, go get some water."

The younger boy does as he's told while Kanon helps Camus sit up and gets her propped against the arm of the couch.

Dimitri reappears, holding a glass of water and a steaming mug.

"I got some of the broth from the soup," he says. To Camus, he adds, "I thought you might be hungry."

Camus nods and holds out her hands, accepting the cup of water first. She hesitates for a moment, turning stare at Kanon.

He sighs. "I'm Kanon, and I'm from Sanctuary. Drink your water and have your broth, and I'll tell you everything," he tells her.

Kanon's explanation of the situation, from who he is to his mission to finding the two trainees and getting them back to the house, lasts through both the water and the broth, and a second serving of both-Camus must be quite hungry-and for a little while longer, as Dimitri passes on to Camus what he has already told Kanon.

By the time they are done and Camus is aware that Kanon knows about both Master Vanya and Ivan, the young trainee looks like she is torn between feeling guilty and trying to hide her emotions entirely.

Kanon feels himself soften, however slightly.

"I need to report to the Pope," he tells the children. "He'll know what to do with you two now that you don't have a master."

"Are we going back to Sanctuary?" Dimitri queries.

Kanon shrugs. "Probably. It's the most logical thing to do, but the Pope will need to make some arrangements for that to happen."

Camus looks a bit skeptical at that. "You can't just take us yourself?"

"Not really," Kanon answers. Before either child can ask another question, he waves them off. "Don't worry about it. Just let me get this sorted out."

Stepping away, Kanon seats himself in the corner behind the couch. It's near enough to the fireplace to be warm, but far enough that he won't feel like he's cooking. On the couch Dimitri has climbed up next to Camus, and the two kids are talking quietly to each other.

Closing his eyes, Kanon reaches out along his bond with Saga.

 _"Hey Kanon, give me a moment,"_ Saga tells him. It only takes a moment for Saga to link with Master Shion, and the Pope greets Kanon quietly.

 _"What's the situation?"_ he asks.

 _"Well, I found two of the trainees,"_ Kanon tells him, _"_ _Dimitri and Camus are alive, Ivan... not so much."_

_"Meaning?"_

_"Meaning the kids' master has been leaving two of them to spar with each other, unsupervised, near the cliffs, every day. Three months ago, Camus accidently threw Ivan off the cliffs,"_ Kanon reports grimly. He can almost imagine Master Shion's displeasure at that part of the report.

_"What else?"_

_"Master Vanya made Camus pit her Aurora Execution against his today. Camus' was more powerful. That's what killed him."_

_"So it's just the three of you out there now?"_ the old Lemurian clarifies.

 _"Yep. I suppose you want them brought back to Sanctuary?"_ the teenager guesses.

 _"Naturally,"_ Master Shion answers. _"I will make arrangements, so if you could stay with them for a few days, that would be perfect."_

_"I can do that. Just give me an arrival time for them, so I know when to leave."_

_"I'll make sure Saga knows."_ is the answer he receives. _"I will speak to you when you return to Sanctuary."_

Kanon allows a sense of understanding and agreement to pass across the telepathic link in lieu of a response, and Master Shion's presence disappears.

 _"Are you okay?"_ Saga questions him softly.

The younger Gemini stops. Thinks.

 _"Yes... No... I'm not sure. I think this is hitting a little too close to home for comfort,"_ he admits finally.

Saga's mind reaches out, almost wrapping around Kanon's own, and the younger twin leans into the elder's telepathic equivalent of a hug, letting out a shaky sigh.

 _"I'll try to be waiting for you when you get back,"_ Saga offers.

 _"You'll probably be busy prepping for the new arrivals,"_ Kanon points out.

 _"I can still try,"_ Saga retorts, and Kanon doesn't need to say anything as he leans into his brother's mind one more time.

 _"Either way,"_ he says, _"We'll see each other when I get back."_

 _"Yes. See you soon, little brother,"_ Saga says affectionately, and pulls away.

Kanon takes several long minutes to breath deeply, slowly getting his thoughts in order. Finally, he gets up and moves back to the couch. Camus and Dimitri give him curious looks as he settles rejoins them.

Camus looks a little better, more composed than before.

"What did the Pope say?" she asks.

"Well..." Kanon starts, and settles in for a nice, long discussion.

* * *

It's two long, yet somehow short days before it's time for the people from Sanctuary to arrive to get the two young trainees. They spend that time preparing the little cottage to be closed down. The cottage is owned by Sanctuary, so no one is likely to come out to it again until more ice Saints need training, and that shouldn't happen for at least another few years.

Camus spends the first day after Kanon's arrival resting, much to the young girl's frustration, but he lets her join in the departure preparations on the second day.

They clear out any food that won't be eaten before they leave and can't be easily carried back to the airport, and clean and dust and generally tidy up. Kanon tracks down a box of mothballs at the bottom of the chest of blankets in the bedroom and they get all the wool blankets stored away.

On the evening of the second day, Dimitri is digging around in the desk in the bedroom, double-checking that there isn't anything perishable in there-for all that it's unlikely, it's important to be thorough-and finds a piece of paper with notes in Russian on it, along with a series of numbers.

"It's contact information," Kanon says. "It's meant to be used in an emergency to contact the Pope directly. This is good."

Both kids eye him curiously, and Kanon turns away from where he's turning the remaining meat and vegetables from the ice box into stew for dinner. Leaning against the counter, he stares seriously at the duo.

"I'm leaving early tomorrow morning, before the people from Sanctuary get here," he tells them. "I'll leave this out on the table before I leave. If anyone asks, you tell them that after the incident at the training grounds-" Camus flinches slightly at this "-you made it back here and used this information to contact the Pope for help, just like your master taught you."

"But he didn't teach us that," Dimitri points out. "I had no idea that information even existed."

Kanon shakes his head. "No one needs to know that," he says firmly. When they just stare at him, he sighs. Bracing his hands on the edge of the counter, he leans his head back to stare up at the ceiling.

"Look," he starts hesitantly, "No one can know I was here. That's important. More important than anything else, do you understand?"

Even behind the rather cold exterior that she's started to adopt since waking up and getting over her initial confusion at the situation, Camus looks skeptical. "Why not? You told us you work for Sanctuary, right? Why can't anyone know you were here?"

"I told you I do missions for the Pope," Kanon corrects her, "Not for Sanctuary. As for why no one can know, I can't tell you that. Ask the Pope if you can speak with him privately, he might be willing to tell you."

Neither child looks happy, but Kanon refuses to answer any more questions on the subject, and they spend dinner and the rest of the night mostly in silence.

* * *

The next morning Kanon is up before either of his temporary charges. He grabs some bread from the counter, along with some of the stew from the night before, and eats quickly, finishing just as Dimitri and Camus are waking up.

He takes a moment to serve the children with what remains of the bread and stew, then goes to check his bag to make sure he has all his things. Sure enough, he does.

"Make sure to clean up those last couple dishes before you leave," he tells the kids as he throws on his coat and wraps his scarf around his neck.

"You're leaving already?" Dimitri asks.

"Yep," Kanon responds with false cheer. "Time for me to be moving on now."

To be honest, he's grown kind of fond of the kids these last two days. Dimitri is a bright little thing, quietly cheerful and subtly clever in his own way. Camus is much more reserved than her training partner, and isn't much of a talker, but she's smart as a whip.

It's a mistake-getting attached-and he knows it, but he did it anyway.

He brushes a lock of his temporarily blond hair away from his face and gives the kids a quick smile.

"Don't forget what I told you," he tells them.

Just as he's opening the door, Dimitri calls out to him.

"We'll see you once we're in Sanctuary, right?" the white haired boy asks.

Kanon doesn't answer, just steps out into the clear, cold morning and shuts the door behind him, starting to make his way back to town.

_There's only one way for that to happen, kiddo. So no, I hope not._

_Gods, I hope not._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End.
> 
> Leave a review telling me what you thought, and if you'd like to see more of Kanon's adventures one day!
> 
> Ta-ta!

**Author's Note:**

> There's the first chapter. Leave a review and tell me what you thought.
> 
> See you next time!


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